Paytm chief Vijay Shekhar Sharma flies out of Delhi for fresh air

Sharma said in the mail: “Our admin team is working to get air purifiers and more plants to avoid pollution and clean air in office."Shelley Singh | ET Bureau | November 08, 2016, 07:39 IST

On Sunday night, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma took the last flight out of Delhi to Mumbai. There was no early morning meeting in Mumbai, but he could not take the haze and smog that has engulfed the national capital anymore.

“I couldn’t have waited till Monday. Air is really bad in Delhi and I’m allergic to dust,” Sharma told ET over the phone from Mumbai. Sharma, who lives in the Greater Kailash area of upscale South Delhi, left with his family and won’t be back till the air becomes “breathable.”

“The met department says by Wednesday this week things will improve. In the past few years, every winter we do have such a situation, but this year has been the worst. I think I’ll have to move out of Delhi every year from mid-October,” said Sharma, who cancelled half-a-dozen appointments and an office employee review meeting this week in Paytm’s Noida head office. Before taking off, Sharma sent a mail to Paytm employees, encouraging them to use masks and skip coming to office if they feel so.

Sharma said in the mail: “We are seeing unprecedented air pollution in Delhi-NCR. Our admin team is working to get air purifiers and more plants to avoid pollution and clean air in office. I have also ordered five air purifiers from China for different floors in Noida.”

He added: “In middle of this, may Isuggest you to choose avoiding going out and keep indoors as much. If you choose, please work from home. You can obviously come to Noida office, but don't forget to use a mask on road. Air quality is expected to get better in next two days. I suggest you to consider working from home seriously for tomorrow at least.” In 2014, Sharma had contemplated shifting to Bengaluru due to the poor air quality in Delhi NCR, but abandoned that plan because of traffic problems and pollen in the hi-tech city’s air.

Besides, “other cities are not as well connected to global destinations as Delhi is. So I have to be in Delhi-NCR. I understand this (smog, pollution) is part of the economic growth cycle. But as we grow we have to be conscious of the environmental impact of growth,” Sharma added.

Paytm is distributing masks to employees and has ordered indoor plants that can absorb toxins. A large telecom company, which wished not to be identified, has issued an advisory urging employees to stay indoors and work from home if necessary. It asked employees to avoid morning walks and outdoor exercises, besides encouraging those commuting to work to wear masks and use the air exchange in their cars to remove stale air.

Fortis Healthcare is distributing air masks to employees, emailing health tips on the ill effects of air pollution and offering work-from-home option for one week for pregnant women and flexi-time options for all employees. Other multinationals in the Delhi-NCR that ET spoke to including SAP and Microsoft are monitoring the situation.

They have been able to cope with the smog and haze as they already have air purifiers and give options to employees to work from home. At Microsoft India, a health and security advisory has been issued asking employees to take precautions and work out of home if needed.